Analyst Calls Console-Exclusive DLC 'Unproven'

There's been a rush by Microsoft and Sony to snatch up exclusive post-launch DLC for high profile games. The Xbox 360 will be sporting exclusive content for Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, and Microsoft recently announced plans to offer two expansion levels for Tomb Raider: Underworld to be released later this year. For its part, the PS3 will be getting a heaping helping of Mirror's Edge DLC at an unspecified date. So the manufacturers are lining up to make deals, but the question at hand is does this have any effect on consumers' purchases?

Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian thinks that this new frontier is as yet "unproven," and that the new content being made available for Grand Theft Auto IV will go a long way toward answering our questions. As for the practice as a whole, Sebastian concedes that it likely does have some effect, but at yet it's impossible to determine exactly what that effect may be.

"I think it's reasonable to assume there is some correlation between game sales and the availability of exclusive content for a particular platform," he said, "but the content needs to be high quality and add something to the overall game experience."

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